


The Broken are more evolved - Mei

by Noriyuki_Valentine



Series: OPERATION TRAPPED DOBERMAN [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, F/M, Kidnapping, Light BDSM, Light Dom/sub, Loyalty, Mental Health Issues, Military Jargon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rare Pairings, Suicidal Thoughts, Tragic Romance, conflicted beliefs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-12-29 22:52:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12095181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noriyuki_Valentine/pseuds/Noriyuki_Valentine
Summary: After the death of her teammates, Mei struggles day to day with almost crippling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Anxiety. Her mental illness puts her in a situation were she is vulnerable, and she feels unable to continue; or can this situation be the very thing to save her life?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan-fiction I've ever wrote. I poured a lot of love in to this story. I am writing this based on my knowledge on Overwatch lore. Please forgive me if things aren't lined up well, and for things I filled in on my own. I also have basic grammar skills. Sometimes less than that, so please work with me.
> 
> Constructive criticism is greatly welcomed.

" … If there are no further questions…" Commander Morrison says as his eyes sweep the room. "… you all are dismissed."

Mei sighs as she stacks her notes together, placing them inside her folder. She was told that the briefing wouldn’t be longer than an hour, to give them time to finish preparations before they leave. _'I still have to pack my gear…'_ She thought. _'…and there is that other thing that needs to be taken care of.'_ She frowns as she thinks about the blank envelope she left on her desk. ' _I suppose today is the last day I can push that off.'_  

 

"Hey Mei! Hurry up in there!" A voice cuts through her thoughts. She looks behind her to see Hana and Lucio standing in the hallway. She gives them a gentle wave and smiles before maneuvering to the door.

" I'm so sorry that took so long." Mei says as she greets Hana with a hug.

" Awe no worries Mei. We still have time to hangout before you leave." says Hana. " Do you still need to pack?"

" Yeah I do, but I honestly don’t know what I should bring. Its really stressing me out." The three start heading toward the barracks.

" Oh yeah. This is your first field mission isn't it?" Lucio asks. 

" Yes, but I'm just filling in for the recruit. I'm the closest to a field engineer other Torbjorn." Mei sighs.

"Seems like they are really getting everyone involved on this one." Lucio says with concern in his voice. Hana places her hand on his shoulder for comfort.

" Things will go well. We all have been training for this." She says. 

" Yeah I know that Hana. Its just we have been doing this for so long. When does it end?" He questions.

"Well Lucio, the Commander seems quite confident in the operations' success, so we gotta have a bit of faith." Mei states.

" That's a nice way to think. You are always so positive Mei." Hana gleams. " Thanks!" She says through a plastered smile. She slides her keycard into the door reader and allowed them into her room. 

 

"Ah that should do it!" Hana exclaims as she falls backwards onto Mei's bed.

"That indeed was exhausting..." Mei plops down on her now packed duffle bag. " …but thank you both."

"Its no problem Mei." Lucio smiles.

  " Yeah its no problem. " Hana says, moving into a seated position. " Is there anything else you need to do?" She asks.

"Well…" Mei starts as her heart begins to race. "I have been struggling with something." She chews her bottom lip. Her breath quickens.

"Is it anything we can help you with?" Lucio asks.

"Its ummm. W-well." Mei stammers. She takes a single deep breath and says " Its ummm... behind you." Lucio spins around to find the blank envelope. He frowns as he hands the envelope to Hana.

"Oh Mei…" She says softly as she takes it in both hands.

"Yeah." Mei whispers while looking away from her friends. Mei feels her face burn hot. _'I shouldn’t have said anything. It wasn’t fair to burden them. Not with something so heavy.'_  She chews her lip harder.

"I can't begin to understand what you’ve been through…" Lucio says as he moves to sit next to Mei on the duffle. "…but maybe you should write to your friends. I know they aren't with us more but maybe your last words and will can be to them." He takes her hands into his and gave her a warm smile.

Mei's eyes swell with tears. "I haven't thought that." she mumbles.

 Hana goes to put the envelope back onto the desk and places a hand on Lucio's shoulder. "I think we should give her space." She says quietly.

He pats Mei's hands twice and says "Yeah, you may be right." He stands and offers a hand to Mei. She takes it to stand and silently walks her guests to the door. "If you ever want to talk I am just a phone call away." Lucio says before walking through the door. Mei wants to says thank you to her friend, to tell him that she really appreciates his advice, but the words are caught in her throat. She manages to muster up a weak smile, which seems to be enough for Lucio.

"Mei." Hana says quietly looks at her from the doorway. " I hear Morrison leaves his last words and will blank." She pauses to looking back at the envelope before leaving. Mei feels her lip quiver, daring to break her smile. A tear streams down her face. "Just thought you would like to know." Hana whispers as she closes the door behind herself. At the sound of the lock click Mei drops to the floor and sobs.

 

 Mei remembers sitting with Torres and Adams back at Ecopoint, having a hot cup coffee while discussing the latest findings of their data. _'No…'_   She cries. She curls into the fetal position, sobbing through tightly clenched teeth. _'I'm so sorry.'_   She remembers how the excited the group was when snowball was turned on successfully. Their smiling faces burned into her memory. _'Please… I'm sorry… I'm sorry'_   Her sobs turn to violent gasp. _' I never wanted this…'_  She screams in her mind. She remembers the bright red glow of the error codes on the other tanks. _'I can't do this without you guys…'_   She claws her nails into the floor. _' I don't want to do this…'_ Mei remembers sleeping on the kitchen floor to avoid the empty room they all shared. She hugs herself tight and groans from the sharp internal pains. _'Please, please, please…'_   She begs through choked sobs. _'Please… stop…'_ she remembers Opara surprising her with a mug they smuggled in with a supply crate. _'I miss you all too much.'_ Mei feels her chest tighten. _'I wish I was with you.'_

 


	2. Chapter 2

Mei stretches her sore back muscles. _'Hmmmm I really should be careful where I fall asleep.'_   She thought as she remembered waking up on her bedroom floor in darkness. The moonlight peeks through the cracks of her curtains. ' How  eyes puffy and face tear stained. _'I wonder how long the session was this time.'_ She sighs, feeling the leftover sorrow from a few hours ago. 

" Miss Mei? Did you hear me?" The voice breaks through the memory. She looks up to see a large, quadruped omnic looking down at her with concern.

"Oh I'm sorry Orisa. I got lost in thought." Mei chuckles. " Would you mind saying it again?"

"Not a problem, Miss Mei." She stands up straight and her eyes open wide. "OPERATION TRAPPED DOBERMAN. The time is now 0637 hours. Number of personnel: Two. Mei Ling-zhou. Genji Shimada. Number of omnic: One. OR 15. objective: Mei's orders are to survey this location for potential threats. Secondary orders are to find potential safety mechanisms to provides extra security for our agents. Genji's orders are to assist Mei with surveying and provided protection. OR 15 orders: to protect and provide security for mission. Do you wish to start OPERATION TRAPPED DOBERMAN ALPHA?" Orisa stares blankly at her teammates.

Mei smiles and says "Yes. Lets start the mission."

 

"Ok you guys." Mei says as the three huddle around the map she places on the ground. "We have a few hours until the second team arrives." She sighs. " Any ideas where we should begin?"

"The meeting will take place at this building tomorrow just before dawn." Genji whispers kneeling down next to the map and pointing out the location. "Its also surrounded by minor abandoned shops we may be able to use." 

"The meeting will take place in the bottom most level of the building. How shall we proceed?" Orisa chips in.

Mei looks at the roof of building. _'Looks like an old warehouse. Its will be difficult to add security measures discreetly, especially if its empty inside.' S_ he thought. " I think we should sweep the building. Bottom to top." She says quietly. "When inside be sure to remember anything that can be reasonably be modified or used to better the main operation."

"The building is only two stories high, not including the basement." Genji whispers. " I can check the nearby buildings and the roof, then work my way down to the ground floor."

Mei looks at Genji and furrows her brow. "But the enemy could be near. It isn't safe to split up in the city." 

He stands and offers a hand to Mei which She takes to stand.  She refolds the map carefully. "My family controlled this once thriving city." Genji starts. He steps out of the dark alley they were sitting in and looks around. The streets littered with wreckage from panicked evacuations and slaughtered omnics.  "I remember these streets as well as I did as a young boy." Genji begins to walk away from his team. "Please allow me to use this knowledge to further our success. I will be fine."

Mei tightly clenches her teeth. _'I really don’t want to do this…'_   She thought. "O-ok fine." She stammers. " But signal Orisa at the first sign of trouble, got it?" Mei felt like her heart would break through her chest at any second.

"Thank you." he says quietly. He gives his team a quick bow before running off into the darkness.

 

Thunk-thunk-thunk KLOMP! Thunk-thunk-thunk KLOMP! _'Well she's not much for stealth…'_ Mei thinks to herself as she listens to loud rhythmic steps of the quadruped omnic. _'… but I'm so thankful for her company.'  T_ hunk-thunk-thunk KLOMP!

" Miss Mei." Orisa starts, her rhythmic steps cease.

Mei stops and turns around to face her. " Yes?"

"I have a question." She says as she places her hand over her mini gun, pulling it close to herself. She squints her eyes down on Mei, unsure if she should be asking.

Mei gives Orisa a soft, encouraging  smile. " Okay, what is it?"

Orisa hesitates. Her eyes dart randomly at debris on the ground around them. "Why did the omnics turn against the humans?"

Mei looks at the ground, noticing omnic parts littered in the streets. _'No doubt that they were stripped for parts by looters…'_   She lets an audible gasp escape her as she looks up, wide eyed, at the terrified omnic. _'We are standing in their corpses!' This must be horrifying for her.'_ She places a hand on Orisa's arm with a slight frown and sighs. _'Its so easy to forget that you are still new to this world.' S_ he thought. "Orisa" Mei hesitates " No one truly knows why the omnics attacked." She says quietly.

Orisa stares at a broken, rusting hand at her feet. "Efi tells me that I am free to choose my own path, that I will not be like my brothers here." She looks back at Mei with sadden eyes.  "Do you believe her?"

Mei frowns a bit. "I think…" Mei pauses, carefully choosing her words. "… I do, Orisa." A small, simple musical chime emits from her while her eyes widen.  "I mean if anyone would know it would be your creator, right?" Mei says while giving her a slight smile. Orisa remains wide eyed staring at Mei. A mechanical sound of a motor grows louder inside her then cuts out. Her eyes click when she blinks a few times.

" I understand." Orisa says giving Mei a nod. Thunk-thunk-thunk KLOMP! She presses pass Mei to the building. "Thank you."


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, this is the entrance to the basement." Mei says, placing her hand on the paint chipped door. "We should be able to get to the first floor through here. Stay close." Mei presses her weight into the door, causing the metal the screech. Orisa enters behind, closing the heavy metal door with ease. Mei reaches underneath her water tank to activate Snowball, who greets Mei with great energy. She takes him into both hands and urges him to be quiet. "Snowball, flashlight mode please." she whispers. He gives her a muted chirp before illuminating his lens, while Orisa clicks her eyes twice to increase their brightness. _'This is unpleasant.'_ Mei noted as she watched dust particles dance in the light. She pulls her shirt over her nose, not wanting to breathe it in. They move deeper into the room, passing boxes soaked in animal urine, almost empty shelves, and spoiled rations that spilled on the flooded floor. Mei's boots slosh and slide in the murky water the more she tries to keep balance. _'Mmmph this stench is overwhelming…' s_ he thinks. She looks around the room, but outside of their immediate area she can only sees darkness. "Well we weren't expecting much use down here." Mei sighs to her partner. "Lets keep mo-" The hair on her skin becomes ridged. _'What is that…'_ Her breathing becomes unsteady. Her heartbeat quickens. _'What… is that…_ ' The static in the air becomes dense. _' WHAT IS THAT!'_  

The sound of Orisa's barrier hitting the water pulls Mei from her mind. "Mei. Stand behind my barrier." Orisa says quietly, pushing Mei behind her. Snowball nudges himself into Mei's hands and vibrates to soothe her panic. Orisa moves toward the known staircase in the back of the room slowly while keeping a visual on Mei.

_'I knew it. I knew we shouldn’t have split up.'_  Mei cries in her mind, watching her partner move farther away from her. She grips snowball tighter. A woman's giggle echoes through the darkness from all directions.

"Who is there?" Orisa demands, scanning the room. Mei readies her weapon in her shaky hand.

"Initiating the hack." The woman breathes into Mei's ear. She could feel her legs threatening to give out. Her eyes rapidly scan her surroundings. The water splashes softly in seemingly random areas in the room. She presses her back to the barrier, aiming her cryo-gun unsteadily at the darkness.

"Call Genji, Snowball." Mei hisses through clenched teeth. Snowball lets out a weak chirp. She looks down at her companion tucked into her arm. "Snow… ball?" Mei questions. She realizes the flashlight feature was no longer active. Snowball's lens illuminate a single, pulsing, purple, digital skull. The woman giggles again. A lump of panic gets caught in Mei's throat. _'What's going on?'_ She thought, making feeble attempts to control her breathing.

  _SKREE!!!_ The basement door they entered crumbles from the center, as if it were made of paper. Its tossed aside, revealing the morning light and a large figure standing in the frame. The figure held another, much smaller figure by its head. _' Is that?'_ Mei squints, attempting to see into the light. A silver glint shines off of the smaller figure's armor. The larger male reels the smaller man back, then chucks him into the room. His weakened body flails in the air momentarily before splashing to the ground aggressively, just a few steps away from Mei. His green lights pulse weakly. "GENJI!" Mei lets out an ear piercing scream, her eyes swelling with tears.

" Don't get back up." The man says. The animalistic, deep, rumble of his voice carries a heavy presence. He begins to move deeper into the room. _'ITS HIM!'_ Mei shrieks in her mind, watching him helplessly.

"DOOMFIST!" Orisa shouts. She places a barrier at her feet, removing the one Mei was using. "YOU ARE UNDER ARREST. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RESIST." she says, preparing her halt ability.

"Hmph." Doomfist smirks, squatting to charge his gauntlet. Orisa movements suddenly cease, her eyes flash red rapidly.

"System override." she says simply, then aims her mini gun directly at Doomfist.

"Orisa. What are you-" Her words interrupted by the rapid sound of the weapon. Mei dives between the metal shelves near the basement entrance, dropping Snowball in the process. The building shakes from receiving damage, parts of the ceiling splash into the murky water. Mei presses her hands messy into her ears and peeks through the shelves to see Orisa. Orisa stands unresponsive behind her shield, wildly waving her mini gun around.

"ORISA PLEASE!" Mei attempts to plead with her over the gun fire to no avail.

"¡APAGANDO LAS LUCES!" A woman shouts as she appears in a sphere of purple static. She give Mei a smirk before disappearing again. The gunfire stops and Mei looks back toward Orisa, who now is collapsed on the ground. She looks at the entrance, which is blocked partially with rubble. Mei crawls over to Genji, she can her small, metallic, tinkering inside of him.

" Genji! Can you hear me?" she loudly whispers, placing a hand on his chest and giving him a light shake. "Please wake up." she fights back tears.

"Where is he?" Genji asks weakly. Mei gives him a tearful puzzled look.

"What do you mean? Forget about the mission! We need to get you both out of here!" she rambles.

"Mei." Genji starts. There is a faint wheezing behind his breaths. "We can not allow him to get away." He struggles to put his hand on hers. "Back up is coming as we speak. Do not let our troubles be for nothing."

"What about you two?" she asks with a shaky voice. _' I don’t want to do this. I thought splitting up was bad before. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS.'_ she thinks.  _'I'm so pathetic.'_  

"We will, survive." he chokes out. "Now go before he gets too far." She looks back to the entrance to see Doomfist stumbling over the rubble.

"Okay." She gives Genji a quick, tearful nod before making her way over the loose rubble and back through the doorway.

 Mei notices a trail of blood smudges and drops leading away from the warehouse and into a nearby alley. ' _He must really be injured to drop this amount of blood.' s_ he ponders nervously, readying her weapon. She moves slowly down the alley, which still held an ominous vibe despite the rising sun. 

"So you followed me here." Doomfist voice vibrates through the air, causing Mei to let out a small shriek. He rises from behind a dumpster. Mei points her weapon,her arm shaking, at the villain. She clenches her teeth so tight it hurts. "What will you do with this opportunity?" He moves to challenge Mei, but instead stumbles forward, barely catching himself with the gauntlet. He clutches his side with his free hand, gasping violently.

"You are hurt." she says, reaching a hand out to him. Doomfist shoots her a cold, sharp glare. He charges the gauntlet through his pain, his hand no longer covering the exposed, puckered wounds on his side. "Please, let me help you." Mei softly whispers. Doomfist charges forward sloppily and she lets up an ice wall between them, causing him to slam directly into it. He cries out in agony, beating his fist into the ground to distract himself from the pain. She lets her wall down and cautiously approaches him.  She watch as Doomfist sits on his hands and knees, coughing up dark pools of blood. She kneels by his side and to get a closer look at the wound. _'If I can stop the bleeding he may have a chance to survive.'_ She thinks, clicking the switch over to the frost setting on the cryo-gun. "This will hurt." Mei frowns at Doomfist.  "But try your best." He continues his glare, but giving her a single nod. _'Here goes nothing.'_  she sighs as she burst sprays his wounds with frost. "It won't fix you…" she says between burst. "…But it will buy you some time." Doomfist gave her a grunt as a response. She sighs backing away to give him some space. "Well…" she starts, stretching her arm across her chest.  "… I guess we will wait here until back-" A small purple cloud erupts around Mei. She falls over, and her body shakes violently. " I… can't… breathe…" she gasps like a fish out of water. _'My throat is closing! What happened?'_ Her vision becomes blurry and dull quickly. A purple figure crouches down next to her.

" Be sure to pack this one up two." the figure says with a heavy foreign accent. Mei can feel herself being carried by someone as she closes her eyes one final time.    

 


End file.
